What do I do if I think my resume is outdated?

One huge fear of job seekers is that they are outdated.

Sometimes they feel outdated because they have been out of the workforce due to family circumstances, illness, or personal choices. Jobseekers fear this time out of the workforce rendered them outdated and out of touch with their industry and current trends.

Outdated due to technology

Other times job seekers feel outdated because their roles left them out of the fast-moving technology growth. Perhaps the company they worked for never changed with the times.

Their company relied on old-school strategies and resisted technology implementation. Other job seekers may have only worked with one type of technology and feel they can't compete with others who have a broader depth of technology than they do.

This happens at all levels, even executives feel their skills go stagnant after being in a company that didn't embrace new strategies.

What to do if your resume is outdated

As a job seeker, define if you are really outdated or you just think you are. Examine job descriptions to find out what companies are looking for in roles you would enjoy.

As a best practice moving forward, start increasing your technology skills in the areas that apply to the jobs you desire. How?

Youtube videos: Youtube can teach you many things. See what's there.
Company websites: you would be surprised how many technology companies have demos on their websites. This can be a starting point for other learning.
LinkedIn Learning: Many of my clients add to their skill sets with LinkedIn Learning.
Certifications: One of my clients ensured his certifications were updated on LinkedIn and added more specialized certifications. He now works for Microsoft as a Customer Success Manager in Application Development.

What to do if I think I am outdated?

Reading: With the availability of books in so many places today, you can be continually learning. Our house is filled with actual books in multiple places on a myriad of topics but I mainly read on my iPad on the Kindle app. I read a lot of fiction (guilty pleasure) but I also own many non-fiction books. I use Audible to read several non-fiction books while I work on other projects in the house. (I listened to Marcus Sheridan's They Ask, You Answer while I was making chili in the crockpot the other morning. You can find time to learn.)
Association Memberships: Consider joining associations in your area of expertise and learn what options for learning are available.

Specialized Training: Many events are held virtually. Search for announcements on LinkedIn of upcoming events. I searched the main search area on LinkedIn and got 4000 results. Then I changed the search to events Microsoft Azure and ended up with 265 events.

See? There are multiple alternatives for learning and expanding your skills. I am focusing on technology skills but you can enhance any skillset using the same strategies.

But I'm too old

My husband has always had a saying, "you are only as old as you think you are." I see no limitations on learning and growing. Full disclosure, I am 65 and I am continually learning new strategies and ideas. If you let yourself get stagnant, you can fix it.

The question is do you want to fix it? Sometimes it is easier to say that you are outdated than to take action and do something about it.

Many people say they want to move forward in their careers but give themselves excuses as to why they can't make a move. They aren't willing to invest in themselves with time and energy and rather succumb to saying it cannot be done.

If you are really invested in moving forward, you will take the steps to find the tools and strategies that will get you to the next step. For many people, the idea of marketing themselves for the next role also scares them. Building confident job seekers with the tools to make them stand out is one of the things I like most about working in the career industry. Seeing the excitement that comes from winning that next role always makes me happy.

What do I do if I think my resume is outdated?